The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it has stepped up efforts to rescue Nepalis trapped in online digital scam centres operating across Southeast Asia.

According to ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Paudel Chhetri, a total of 612 Nepalis have been rescued and repatriated so far from Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

Of those rescued, 487 are from Cambodia, 111 from Myanmar, eight from Laos and six from Thailand, the ministry said.

The ministry said Nepali embassies in Thailand and Myanmar are actively coordinating with local authorities to facilitate rescue and repatriation efforts. It added that travel documents for 53 more individuals have already been prepared, and arrangements are under way to bring them back to Nepal soon.

Since 2021, around 21,000 Nepalis have travelled to Cambodia for various purposes, and authorities suspect that many may have been drawn into such questionable scam-related operations.

Meanwhile, Cambodian authorities have recently arrested nine Nepalis on charges of involvement in various criminal activities.

According to spokesperson Chhetri, five of those arrested will be presented before the Siem Reap Provincial Court on charges related to organised fraud.

The remaining four are being held in custody for investigation on allegations of hostage-taking, torture and violent activities.

With these latest arrests, the number of Nepalis detained in Cambodia has reached 14.